Alabama football could upset Georgia in SEC title game again, but Tide has work to do

Alabama football coach Nick Saban's first statement at church Sunday after the Iron Bowl stemmed from a place of gratitude.

"The first thing I said was, 'Thank God what could have happened didn't happen," Saban said Monday.

As the fourth quarter was winding down vs. Auburn, the Crimson Tide looked like it would feel the full consequences of its mistakes. The Tigers had a four-point lead, and Alabama was about to punt with about five minutes left in regulation.

Then Jihaad Campbell recovered the muffed punt. Then Jalen Milroe rushed for 19 yards on third-and-20. Then Roydell Williams converted on fourth down. Then four plays later, Milroe found Isaiah Bond in the back of the end zone for the iconic touchdown now known as "Grave Digger."

Jordan-Hare Stadium was still as Auburn fans stood shocked. Alabama had snatched the win away from the Tigers. The Crimson Tide had plenty to celebrate for the miraculous finish, but the reality is, Alabama shouldn't have been in that position of needing a miracle in the first place. Auburn was a team who had just lost to New Mexico State and was hoping to finish with a winning record. Alabama is the SEC West champion.

Of course, records don't seem to matter when the two teams play at Jordan-Hare. Chalk it up to voodoo, a curse or whatever you'd like, but the reality is, Alabama didn't play as well as it can against Auburn. The Crimson Tide left with a victory, but also a list of things to fix. If No. 8 Alabama (11-1) is going to have a chance to beat No. 1 Georgia (12-0) in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday (3 p.m., CBS) and keep CFP hopes alive, the Crimson Tide is going to need to clean up those issues this week in practice.

"A little bit of a reality check," Saban said of the win vs. Auburn. "One of the things we wanted to do in the game was channel our passions and energy into positive execution on the field. And I think when we did that, we played really, really well. But there were some times where we didn’t, and it was very costly in terms of some of the errors that we made, whether they were penalties or mistakes on defense or whatever it might be. So the reality check part comes from taking the good things and building on them and getting some of these other things corrected."

MILROE MIRACLE OR KICK SIX: Alabama football's fourth-and-31 or Auburn's Kick Six ― Which was more improbable?

GRAVE DIGGER: Inside fourth-and-31: How Alabama football buried Auburn with 'Grave Digger'

MISSED PENALTY? Did Auburn bait Alabama football into mistimed snap on final series? Nick Saban discusses

Run defense needs to be top of the list.

Alabama's defense had its worst performance of the season in stopping the run. The Crimson Tide surrendered 244 yards on the ground, and that number would be higher if sack yardage wasn't included. The next highest was vs. LSU, giving up 206 yards.

Yes, Auburn runs much more than it passes but that's not an excuse for poor run defense. Tennessee only attempted four fewer rushes than Auburn, and Alabama only gave up 133 yards on the ground to the Vols.

"We know what we did wrong once we came to the sidelines a little bit," linebacker Deontae Lawson said. "That's just something we have to go through throughout the week and get better at it before the challenge we have on Saturday."

The Bulldogs rank No. 30 in the country in rushing offense, averaging 185.6 yards per game. Daijun Edwards leads the Bulldogs with 781 yards rushing and 11 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Kendall Milton has scampered for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Another key area to fix from the Auburn game is making sure the Crimson Tide doesn't beat itself. The Crimson Tide had two touchdowns negated because of penalties; twice Milroe crossed the line of scrimmage before he threw a pass. Those are just a few examples.

Get rid of those issues, and Alabama's chances of beating Georgia will increase. There might have been room for error vs. Auburn, but that won't likely be the case vs. the Bulldogs.

The good news is this: There's precedent for Alabama playing a shaky game vs. a struggling Auburn team then turning around the next week and beating No. 1 Georgia. Look no further than the 2021 SEC Championship Game.

Despite being a rare underdog in 2021, Alabama managed to light up an elite Georgia defense while making enough plays on defense to limit the Bulldog offense.

"Not very many guys on this team were on that team," Saban said. "Some of the guys that were on that team understood what championship preparation is really all about, and I think their leadership and our message is going to be that's exactly what we need in this game."

It won't be easy, but two seasons ago showed its possible. The first step toward pulling off the upset, however, will be eradicating the issues that plagued the Crimson Tide on the Plains.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football vs. Georgia: History could repeat itself, but Tide must improve